I Got Bribed By Casinos, But I Exposed Them Instead

The Bribe and Initial Investigation

• A bribe was offered to create a video exposing a casino's business rivals, referred to as a "bounty" and "sponsorship," in exchange for $20,000 (6s).
• The offer was considered insulting, especially when compared to the millions of dollars casinos pay influencers annually (19s).
• The show is funded by $5 monthly Patreon donations, and the creators would never accept a bribe of any size (38s).
• A decision was made to expose not just the competitors in the gambling scene but everyone involved, starting with the people who offered the bribe (55s).
• The investigation focuses on the world of Counter-Strike gambling, which has created an underage gambling epidemic making hundreds of millions to billions of dollars annually (1m11s).
• The issue was thought to have stopped in 2016, but it remains a massive problem that many are reluctant to discuss due to the significant amounts of money involved (1m16s).

The Protest and Monarch's Involvement

• Protesters, paid by a rival casino called CS:GO Empire, raided a major Counter-Strike tournament, the PGL Majors in Copenhagen, to protest against another gambling website, CS:GO Roll (3m29s).
• The owner of CS:GO Empire, who calls himself Monarch, live-streamed himself planning the protest and offered to pay people to disrupt the event (3m43s).
• A person was offered money to glue themselves to a stage or handcuff themselves to a computer or table, and if they succeeded, they would be paid decent money, even if security guards were present (4m13s).
• The person was also offered a bounty to cover a story about a scam casino, with one email offering $20,000 to expose the scam, but they declined the offer (4m43s).

Monarch's Perspective and History with Killian

• The person wanted to speak with Monarch, who was behind the offer, and also wanted to hear the other side of the story from CS:GO Rolls owner, Killian (5m7s).
• Killian claimed that Monarch's actions were a one-sided harassment campaign, while Monarch admitted to attacking CS:GO Rolls and other influencers who worked with them, claiming they had made millions from illegal casinos (5m17s).
• Monarch saw himself as a hero and a scam buster, and claimed that he was going to deliver justice to those on his "Wall of Shame", including tax investigations and jail time (5m42s).
• Monarch had a track record of targeting others, and his main defense was that he had been doing this for many years, but the attacks on Killian were more personal (6m32s).
• It was revealed that Killian and Monarch used to be business partners, but Killian had allegedly stolen Monarch's company and had been trying to take him down ever since (6m53s).
• Monarch claimed that Killian was a psychopath and that he was going to take down all of Killian's "minions" (7m18s).
• The situation was not just about justice, but also about revenge, with Monarch stating that there were no deadlines for revenge and that he could do it whenever he wanted (7m37s).
• Monarch warned that there would be severe consequences for those on his "Wall of Shame", including prison time, and that he was not just talking about fun and games (7m53s).

The Fear Surrounding Monarch

• The situation with Monarch is bizarre and has been difficult to discuss because people are scared to share their real opinions, with many talking behind the scenes but not on camera (8m34s).
• Monarch is intimidating, and people are afraid of facing the same consequences if they speak out against him (9m37s).
• The situation is likened to a real-life Voldemort, with most people too scared to talk except for one person on Monarch's Wall of Shame (9m54s).

Grim's Experience with Monarch's Harassment

• Grim, a content creator, has been doing CCO (casino) gambling for about a decade and has been a content creator for almost 8 years (10m2s).
• Grim's relationship with Monarch started around May last year when Monarch began threatening him on Twitter, telling him to drop C G or else (10m27s).
• Grim responded by posting a tweet calling out Monarch, which in retrospect was a massive mistake (10m42s).
• Monarch has been known to Grim for a few years, but this behavior was unusual and unexpected (10m53s).
• After Grim's tweet, Monarch went after him, and Grim started receiving screenshots from people inside Monarch's Discord channels discussing plans to harass him (11m36s).
• The plans included spraying flyers around Grim's city, which eventually happened in September, with around 30,000 flyers distributed, featuring Grim's picture, house, and cars, and accusing him of scamming people (11m59s).
• Monarch does not deny any involvement in the harassment campaign and believes it is justified (12m39s).

Killian's Alleged Scam and the Protests Against Him

• Killian, a streamer, has made at least six million dollars by promoting a discount on CSO, a casino, and has been accused of scamming his audience (12m57s).
• Killian has a mansion in Norway with Lamborghinis parked outside, and flyers were distributed in the town explaining how he made his money by scamming people (13m28s).
• A competitor casino sent 18 people to protest outside the narrator's house, which was seen as intimidation and harassment (13m52s).
• The narrator believes this was a tactic to make it difficult for them to be at home and to intimidate them (14m23s).
• The narrator describes these actions as "Mafia tactics" and notes that the rules in Norway are too lenient (14m35s).
• In response, a group of 15 people, including "Sticky Hand," who claims to have lost his house to a scam, protested outside Killian's house with tents, microphones, and pitchforks (14m45s).
• Sticky Hand also went to knock on Killian's door to speak with him, which the narrator describes as an "insane level of harassment" (15m25s).
• The narrator believes that while Killian may have scammed people, this should be handled by law enforcement, not vigilantes (15m40s).

Legal Actions and Security Concerns

• The narrator has consulted lawyers and plans to take legal action against Killian, but notes that it may be difficult to evade legal justice and that consequences may be years down the line (16m44s).
• There is a heated situation involving Monarch, with both sides feeling threatened and in danger, leading to a reevaluation of personal security measures (17m28s).
• As a precaution, 24/7 security is being provided, which is expensive, but not being paid for personally, with Fig reportedly covering the cost (17m48s).
• The situation has led to genuine fear for life and family, with a need for careful movement and protection from location doxing, as Monarch is believed to have reasons to cause harm (18m27s).
• Monarch is described as "pure evil" with no morals, and it is believed that he would cross the line and cause harm if it were beneficial to him (19m7s).
• The situation has resulted in significant expenses for security measures, not only for personal protection but also for family precautions (19m22s).
• The harassment is not limited to influencers in the gambling sector, with an Esports journalist also being threatened, highlighting the dangers and willingness to do anything for money (20m8s).
• There are plans to take legal action, potentially a defamation lawsuit, which could also serve as a marketing campaign (20m21s).

Attempts at Dialogue and Further Bribery

• An attempt was made to confront Monarch on the issues, with a plan to tell the story in a neutral and factual manner, while also being transparent about not intending to send any harm (20m48s).
• A bounty was offered by Warren to tell the story, but it was not accepted (21m10s).
• A bribe of $22,000 was offered to create a biased story, which would compromise journalistic integrity and create bias towards the offering party (22m3s).
• The person who offered the bribe claimed they didn't know the recipient was a journalist and that the industry is money-oriented, which might be true (22m16s).
• Monarch would allegedly stop harassing Grim if he dropped CSGO Roll and took a match deal at CSGO Empire, indicating that the issue is also about money (22m34s).

The Bigger Picture and the Role of Influencers

• The story is not about portraying gambling influencers as victims, but rather about investigating everyone involved, including Monarch, who is just the tip of the iceberg (22m58s).
• The investigation aims to uncover who is really behind the problem, who the real victims and villains are (23m5s).
• The issue of online gambling addiction, particularly among young people, is highlighted, with influencers promoting third-party case opening sites contributing to the problem (23m29s).
• The solution to the problem might not lie with the casinos, but rather with addressing the role of influencers who promote online gambling (23m43s).